Partakers of the Divine Nature by Cyril Tennant

The Beatitudes

There is more to the Beatitudes than we may have thought, and the writer manages to open our eyes and prick our consciences a good many times in these few pages. Though feeling our failures, we find ourselves exhilarated at the same time. Our God wants us to be saved; personal failures cannot keep us from pressing on. We must strive for the divine nature — and God wishes us to help one another toward that goal.

We begin with the contrast revealed by the apostle Peter in the passage from which the title of the book is taken. There are two ways before us. One will be followed by those who would be “partakers of the divine nature” while the other leads to “the corruption that is in the world through lust.” The knowledge and the will to discern these two ways is to be found in the gospel of Christ — “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”

“The Living Word”

Several short chapters comment on “The Living Word” — the manifestation of God, not only in the written word, but also in the person of our Lord and Savior through whom “the life was manifested” (I John 1:2). As Bro. Cyril points out, “the life” is not just a better or more noble form of man’s life, “it is an entirely new one.” To enjoy this new life we must be born again, becoming a part of a new creation in Christ.

The teaching of Jesus in the Beatitudes reveals “the life that was manifested.” The purpose of the little book before us is to help us examine that life through the words the Savior spoke. These are not platitudes. They are life-giving words — enlightening, healing and deserving of our closest attention.

The sermon and the Psalms

We are no doubt already aware that Jesus looks to the Psalms for the basis of his sermon. Psalm 15 is seen by the writer as especially significant in this regard. This short Psalm is descriptive of the character of the Messiah himself, and as such it offers the pattern his disciples should follow. “LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart” (Psa. 15:1-2).

These words can only apply to us if we have carried on the struggle required to overcome our nature. Though the fight is difficult we cannot despair, nor can we be discouraged when we fail. “Like the apostle Paul, the disciple will find that, while in principle he will serve God, through the pull of forces within himself he will constantly be doing the wrong things. Of these things he will be ashamed and will constantly seek God’s forgiveness. If, however, he serves God with his mind and wages continual war against these forces within himself, he will know that by the grace of God he will in the end be saved.”

The blessings

The Beatitudes are seen as a progression in the spiritual life. The mind and character is developed step by step, new attitudes formed and old ways rejected. This is learning and taking on the mind of Christ.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit” -refers to the emptying of self and is prerequisite to everything else. “To be ‘poor in spirit’ is the key to fellowship with God.” The recognition of our condition and our great need for God is the beginning. Without it we can make no further progress.

“Blessed are they that mourn” -sorrow follows when our state of being, mortal and sinful, has been recognized. “Be afflicted and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning…Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:9,10).

“Blessed are the meek” -­meekness before God means that we are now willing to receive His instruction and allow Him to lift us up. Meekness, for the world, is a trait to be strenuously avoided and certainly the meek do not inherit the earth today. They will find their place, however, when the meek do inherit the earth.

Growing in grace

The mind of flesh knows the meaning of physical hunger and thirst only. It does not hunger or thirst after right­eousness. Only the person who has been cultivated by the word of God experiences this longing. This Beatitude, Bro. Tennant writes, does not come naturally, it is “the next goal to be sought.” So David prayed: “Make me to go in the path of thy command­ments, for therein do I delight” (Psa. 119:35).

“Blessed are the merciful” -­speaks of more than a predisposition. It does not relate to natural compassion but to a development of character. It comes from a recognition of our own need for the mercy, compassion and forgiveness of our Heavenly Father. By truly understanding the mercy of God, without which we have no hope, we will learn to exercise mercy and compassion ourselves.

“Blessed are the pure in heart” -­here “we are considering the whole sentient being — the mind of man, his desires, emotions and lusts.” The heart of the natural man is described in scripture as being desperately evil. We can only arrive at the condition described in this blessing when we have faced the truth about human nature and accepted the path of change. “No child could have given life to itself nor can a dead person raise itself from the grave; similarly none is able to effect rebirth for himself.”

The peacemakers and the persecuted

Peacemakers will be called the children of God. Christ is the definitive peacemaker, and it is peace between ourselves and our God that he provides. “The chastisement of our peace was upon him” (Isa. 53:5). The peacemaker first seeks peace with God; he then seeks to bring this peace into the lives of others.

The persecuted of whom the last Beatitude speaks are those who suffer “for righteousness’ sake.” Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. To suffer affliction through our own foolish actions — or through the ordinary process of living — is not what is spoken of here. It is rather an undeserved suffering for the sake of the gospel. For such persecution to be effective, it must be patiently borne with the end in view.

The new life is better

The book is full of insightful pas­sages; following is one example: “Self denial is very often referred to as a sacrifice for the truth’s sake, when in actual fact, self denial may only mean that we have chosen the new life and are rejecting the old. Far from being a sacrifice, the new life is so much better than the old! Not only does it have promise of the life that is to come but it also enriches the life we live now; whilst the things which we are denying ourselves, are the frivolous and damaging things associated with this world and without which we are so much the better!”

This consideration of the Beatitudes is intended to express the true meaning of being born again. Our salvation has been wrought by God despite human perversity and wickedness. The new life given us in Christ can be enjoyed now, though imperfectly, and will be fully experienced in the age to come.